Ishant Sharma uncertain for Australia tour after muscle tear

Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma has become uncertain for the tour of Australia that is tentatively set to get underway in the month of December. On Monday, October 12, the speedster was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after he sustained a muscle tear following experiencing pain on his rib cage on October 7.

In the ongoing IPL, he had played only a solitary game for the Delhi Capitals (DC) before getting ruled out. He played against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), but couldn’t pick up a wicket in his spell.

“Ishant Sharma experienced an acute episode of left rib cage pain while bowling at a team training session on 7 October 2020 in Dubai. Subsequent investigations revealed that he sustained a left internal oblique muscle tear,” the franchise said in a statement.

Ishant Sharma to rehabilitate at the NCA
As per reports in The Indian Express, Ishant won’t be able to bowl for the next three weeks, though such injuries keep a player out for around two months. The pacer is set to return to India where he will undergo rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

He will also be joined by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was ruled out after SRH’s match against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Dubai earlier this month. As far as the tour of Australia is concerned, the national selectors are likely to announce the squad later this month. It remains to be seen whether or not Ishant makes the cut or not.

Earlier this year, Ishant had another injury concern. He tweaked his ankle during a Ranji Trophy game and became uncertain for the tour of New Zealand. However, the pacer went on to play the opening Test against Kane Williamson’s Black Caps. Nevertheless, due to the same injury, he had to miss the second Test in Christchurch.

Ishant has been a critical part of India’s Test team, though he has been out of the ODI and T20I teams for quite a while. India are on top of the points table in the ICC World Test Championship and Sharma has made useful contributions. In 97 Tests, Ishant has 297 wickets with 11 five-wicket hauls.